Goodnight Kiss
by Sirus7009
Summary: A little story I devised as my first Golden Sun Dark Dawn fanfiction. It will have several chapters, and most likely will have a lemon too, so let's hope for the best!
1. Chapter 1

Goodnight Kiss

Tsukasa: Yeah! Finally a Golden Sun fanfiction!

Karen: Since when do you-

Tsukasa: I've been a Golden Sun fan since it first came out! I was ecstatic when I heard of Dark Dawn coming out!

Karen: So what do we have here today?

Tsukasa: My favorite pairing in Dark Dawn: Dawnshipping!

Karen: Isn't Spiritshipping more popular?

Tsukasa: Pfft I like Karis so much better than Sveta... Not bashing her or anything! I just like Karis more ^-^'''

Karen: Uh huh... let's get to it then?

Tsukasa: I don't own Golden Sun! Just this idea!

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A calm warm night gently nudged by a cool ocean breeze blessed a small camp with sleep. Nestled inside a forest just against the great sea, a group of five adepts slept peacefully, awaiting the sun to rise so they can resume their quest.

Yet two of these young warriors were restless in their sleep, rousing every few minutes only to notice the other one asleep. Both were blushing each time they stared at the other's resting body, wondering what they were dreaming about while they themselves couldn't stay asleep. All the while unaware of the other's inability to sleep as well.

Finally Matthew, the Venus adept as well as leader of the group rose to his feet. He slept in his traveling clothes in case they were attacked at night, making it easy for him to stretch and go for a walk into the night. He slung his sword over his shoulder just in case and made his way into the darkness.

The sound of the nearby waves and the salty sea air kept him calm against the anger screaming to release. He wanted to sleep desperately. He knew that he would need all the rest he could get to keep his mind sharp. Being the leader sucked at times.

He kicked a rock out of his way as he stormed through the forest. He didn't know what to do right now. Every time he woke up, he stared across the campsite towards the lone girl of the party, Karis. He wondered what she was dreaming... while he continued to wake. Her green hair shined under the moonlight, causing her face to have an alluring glow to it.

It was in these small instances that he realized how much he was attracted to the girl, and he often felt for her, realizing in a group of men she was all alone. It made him want to comfort her, hold her in his arms as she slept to let her know that he was there for her.

His thoughts were broken as his hand reached for his sword, spinning to face the sound of a twig cracking. Before him stood a surprised girl... "Karis..." Matthew sighed, relaxing.

"Matthew... What are you doing up so late?" the girl asked him, stepping forward, not surprised that the young man didn't retreat at her approach. He was so strong around her, something none of the other boys could accomplish.

"I could ask the same of you" He chuckled before looking up towards the moonlight, not waiting for a response as he continued, "I couldn't sleep, so I figured a walk on the beach would calm me down."

Karis stood next to him, gazing up at the moon as well, "How odd... every time I woke up, you were sleeping peacefully..."

"So you couldn't sleep either, huh?" He shrugged, a smile etched into his features.

"I guess we just woke up and fell asleep in sequence, huh?" Karis laughed, beginning to walk in the direction of the beach.

"Aren't I the leader?" Matthew teased, leading Karis to turn to face him curiously, "You're going ahead of me. I'm supposed to lead, right?"

Karis couldn't help a giggle as she stepped out of the way, holding her arms out towards the beach in a mocking manner, "Lead on, oh grand leader of mine"

The young man smiled to his friend, signaling that she wasn't out of line as he took a few steps forward, though he hesitated for a moment. Was he really meant to be a leader if he couldn't even get the required sleep at night?

Karis awaited his continued movement, yet he remained frozen to the spot, his brows furrowed and his eyes trained to the ground, deep in thought. "What's wrong, Matthew?"

Her voice, like a requiem of return, woke him from his thoughts. He looked at her for a moment, letting the sound of her beautiful voice ring through his mind before he shook his head, chuckling nervously, "Nothing." He resumed his walk, leading the way to the open beach.

Both stood in awe at the shining light that emanated from the sea. A green glow hummed from the sea, edging at the shore gently. Matthew stared in awe, "Wow..."

"Do you know why it's glowing, Matthew?" Karis asked, leading Matthew to stare at her in wonder, "It's algae. The light of the moon is absorbed and reflects through the algae into the sea, creating the glow you see now."

"Bookworm." Matthew scoffed, though he was intrigued by the idea.

"Actually Reif explained it the first time we saw an ocean. Weren't you listening?"

"Do I ever really listen to him?" Matthew snickered before beginning to walk along the beach, waving his hand to hint that Karis should follow him.

"I should've figured you didn't. You and Tyrell are always barking at him for talking too much about his studies."

"On a merrier topic" Matthew called back, "What did you think when you first saw the ocean, Karis?"

"When I... Where'd this come from?" the girl asked, nearly running into the young man as he suddenly stopped and faced her. She looked up into his gleaming grey eyes. It wasn't odd to her that he had off colored eyes. After all, she had purple eyes, which were far from normal. But his eyes... That cold color despite his warm personality... they drew her in.

Matthew smiled at the dreamy look she sported, curious as to where it came from, but stayed to the point, "We've never seen an ocean in our lifetimes. The first time I saw it on our journey, I was star struck. It was stunning, just like..." Matthew caught himself. He was about to reference her beauty to the ocean, but he felt that now wasn't the right time for flattery.

"Just like what?" Karis hopped closer to him, tilting her head as Matthew once more looked up towards the stars. Despite his strong presence, he was always a dreamer, even awake. How he made such an amazing leader she hadn't the foggiest, but she'd follow him till the world ended if she had to.

She wouldn't follow anyone else.

Slowly Matthew slid to a seat, spreading his legs out on the sand and leaning back, holding himself up with his hands. Karis stared at him for a moment, curious to this sudden action, but she quickly followed him down, though she sat in a more refined way, keeping her back straight and her knees up.

"So what about you?" Matthew finally broke the rather awkward silence, "What did you think when you saw the ocean for the first time?"

Karis had to think about it for a second. Many thoughts had flowed into her head at the time, but the only thing she really thought of was... "How big it was... I couldn't believe how much bigger it was compared to the lake we used to play in as kids."

"Really? That was what our smartest team member thought at the sight of the ocean? How big it was?" Matthew fell onto his back laughing, though he kept the moment of ease short, rolling onto his side to face her again.

She loved that about him. When he talked to someone, he kept them close, and –almost always- kept eye contact with them. Especially with her. Without thinking about it, she finally relaxed, putting her hands into the moist sand. She had taken off her gloves back at the campsite, finding sleeping in gloves rather uncomfortable. She clenched her fingers together, rubbing the dirt through the gaps of her fingers, enjoying the feeling of moisture it granted.

"Well, the memories of our childhoods seemed relevant then..." she giggled, not falling into his lure.

"Well, I have to agree, it was a bit more stunning than that old bog we used to play in."

"Those were fun days, weren't they? We had no cares as our parents watched over the world..." Karis sighed, wishing she could go back to days gone by.

"And then the monsters began attacking again, and they began to teach us how to battle... Our whole world turned upside down..."

"And now here we are on a journey to Hell and back..." Karis's hand drifted out to the side, unconsciously brushing Matthew's hand, leading both adepts to jolt and shuffle away from each other, the two not making eye contact for the first time that night. "S-Sorry..."

"No, no, it's... It's ok..." Matthew chuckled as he scooted closer to her again, leading Karis to blush at the sudden closeness, "You know, it really is a hard time for us... We all need something to hold onto..."

"I... I don't really know what's driving me other than the thought of seeing my parents again..."

"Well" Matthew haphazardly wrapped his arm around Karis's shoulder and brought her in close to look into her shining purple eyes, "You have me to hold onto..." He leaned in closer, his breath tickling her nose, "And I have you..."

Karis didn't fight it. Unlike usual, she didn't predict this situation, but if this is what Matthew wanted –and she couldn't deny she wanted it too- she wasn't going to try to escape his embrace. The young woman did defy him slightly, ducking her head under his to embrace him in a hug, "Yeah..." she whispered, locking her fingers together behind his back, "I do have you... and you have me too..."

Matthew let out a defeated sigh as he returned the hug. He tried so hard to set up the perfect scene to finally show her how he felt, but... for now, he thought, this would have to do. He wrapped his arms around her defensively and closed his eyes, leaning back till they were lying down, with Karis resting on his chest.

For the first time that night, both of them felt truly tired... and truly comfortable. But before she could fall asleep, Karis had one last thing she had to do... She crawled up his body and, slowly, leaned in...

She brushed her lips against his gently, smiling as he grinned, finally getting the victory he wished for as she resumed, pressing against his lips, though she kept it tame. After all, it was just a goodnight kiss. "Goodnight..." She breathed into his ear before resting her head on his chest again.

Matthew adjusted his right arm so that his hand rested on her head, gently caressing it as she fell asleep in his arms, "Goodnight..."

He blinked for a moment, his eyes barely staying open as he debated one last comment... he nodded slowly, realizing from her deeper breathing that she was fully asleep.

"I love you..." she whispered sleepily through her dreams.

Matthew moved his hand to his face, rubbing his temples before lightly chuckling, "Damn it... she beat me to it..." He sighed before continuing, "I love you too" and so he too fell asleep, both of them enjoying the first good rest they'd had in a good many nights.


	2. Chapter 2

Goodnight Kiss 2

Tsukasa: Here goes another Dawnshipping fanfiction!

Karen: We don't own Golden Sun! Only this idea!

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Night had fallen, and the usually peppy and cheerful town of Belinsk had finally settled down. The music had ended; the people had fallen asleep, as had five tired adepts in the town inn. But one of these adepts was more tired than the others, as he had yet to have stayed asleep long enough to rest.

Matthew sighed as he rolled over in his bed, looking away from the lit fireplace. For some odd reason he got the bed closest to the dull light, and it teased his mind, keeping him awake. He hated the flame that barred his sleep, and wanted to cast Gaia on the accursed stone arch to destroy it, but he knew better than to destroy it. It was un-leader like, as well as immature. Once again, being a leader sucked.

The positive point of the fire was that it gently lit the eyes of Karis, the woman he had fallen in love with. Her green hair glittered in the faint light, her cute face lighting up with each flicker of flame.

Matthew reminisced to a previous night. It seemed like ages ago, when in truth it was only a couple weeks prior to this night. It was so perfect, the sleeping on the beach, the admittance-be it she didn't hear him- and most of all, the kiss.

How he longed for her lips again. Even in the fleeting moment he felt them, he had realized how soft and warm they were. In this cold night, where even in his nightclothes he shivered, he wished for the warmth both her lips and body provided. How he wished she would lie on top of him again, heating his body... and his heart.

He finally noticed he was staring at her while daydreaming. If she awoke, what would she think of his eyes glaring down on her? Would she notice the longing and come to comfort him? Or scold him for looking at her in such a somber fashion?

Once more he remembered that night, how the two of them kept waking and sleeping in sequence so neither knew the other had trouble sleeping. He wondered if she too was having trouble tonight. He had been awake for at least fifteen minutes though... it seemed almost farfetched that she would suddenly wake and join him for another night. But he decided to wait, to see if she would be roused from her slumber...

A few groans brought his eyes back to her, but she merely shifted in bed and shivered before drifting back to sleep. Finally Matthew had had enough of this restlessness. Once more he would take a walk. Perhaps he could find some peaceful respite from exploring the town some more...

As he finished getting dressed, he looked over to the greenette again, smiling. Her forehead was gently draped in her green locks. Yet a small patch of her smooth skin showed through, a spot that looked perfectly vulnerable to an idea he had.

As quietly as he could, he stepped up to her bed and kneeled down. He could barely hear her gentle breathing. Watching her eyes, he realized she must be having a dream, as her eyelids continued to flitter and move, and occasionally her breathing would heighten then lower again.

He leaned in close, not hesitating for a moment as she could awaken at any time, and gently kissed her on the forehead, smiling as he stood, quite content with his action. He watched her for a little longer, and then quietly stepped out of the room.

The walk had indeed calmed him. The little light the sliver of a moon provided made it a little difficult to traverse the town, but the sound of the ocean, just like on that wonderful night, soothed his restlessness, and despite the nipping cold, the sea fueled a warm breeze that gently warmed the night.

But approaching the inn, he noticed in the dim light that something sat in front of it. On the sidewalk rested a girl, he sighed as he stopped next to her, "Couldn't sleep?"

Karis giggled and looked at him as he sat down next to her, "Nope. It seems like we're both cursed to never sleep peacefully."

"I don't know about that" Matthew laughed, moving close to her as both stared out into the darkness, "I just think this quest is taking it's toll on both of our minds..."

"What do you mean by that?" Karis asked, curious by what he could mean.

"Well, I'm the leader, and you're practically the second in command. We both use our heads more than the others, trying to decide where to go, what to do, how to handle each cave or dungeon we enter... I think we're just getting overloaded."

"And now that we have less than a month to break into Belinsk Castle, the stress is bearing down on us further." Karis added in.

"Exactly" The Venus adept said with a sigh, "We just need to find something to help calm us down..."

"You have me" Karis said quietly, slightly hoping he wouldn't hear her.

Matthew fell quiet, suddenly realizing that she had basically quoted him from weeks prior. He sat in a stupor, shocked that she had made the first move this time.

This silence brought a shiver to Karis, her gaze trailing to the stone ground, wondering if he had indeed heard her. It had been but just a whisper...

And as quietly as her whisper, Matthew wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in even closer to lean on his shoulder. Both chuckled at the warmth and comfort they felt next to each other.

"You're right" Matthew muttered into her ear, "I do have you..."

"And I have you..." Karis said happily, her eyes gently closing before she fell into a deep slumber.

Matthew simply smiled, also closing his eyes, but he remained strong and stayed awake. They weren't in the middle of nowhere this time. It would be odd for the beastman town to wake to the sight of two humans sitting in the streets asleep.

He let time pass slowly, happily enjoying the moment he was sharing with the sleeping Karis, before finally taking her into his arms and standing. He carefully turned and opened the door to the inn, but before he could even take a step Karis moved again, her beautiful purple eyes opening to look into Matthew's greys. "Wait..." She whispered softly.

Matthew remained quiet, gazing into her eyes, waiting for her to continue. Karis slowly ascended in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck before kissing him on the forehead, giggling at the shocked look on Matthew's face as he realized she was indeed awake earlier. Before he could say a word, she pressed her lips against his. But this wasn't like the previous night on the beach. She actually kissed him this time, and he gleefully returned the kiss, the two in utter bliss before their faces parted ways, both enjoying the other's smile.

Matthew finally walked back into the inn, carrying his love back into the room both they and the other adepts shared before laying Karis back on her bed. He knelt down next to her, his smile wide enough to shatter his cheeks, "Goodnight" he quietly said.

"Goodnight..." Karis replied.

Matthew hesitated to stand, waging a war in his mind on what else he should say, finally whispering, "I..."

"I love you"

He barely held back a laugh as he scratched the back of his head, "You beat me to it again..."

Karis giggled cutely at this reaction, though she did have to question, "Again?"

"It's nothing" Matthew said as he kissed her one last time, "I love you too..." before standing to return to his own bed. Laying down, he rolled to face her, the fire lighting her violet eyes beautifully. The stunning sight brought one last smile to his face, which she returned.

"Goodnight" the two lovers said before falling into a comfortable sleep, both having pleasant dreams about the other, both eagerly awaiting their next night together.


	3. Chapter 3

Goodnight Kiss 3

Tsukasa: It's about damn time!

Karen: Let's get to work! We don't own Golden Sun! Only this idea!

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A hard cold rain shredded Matthew's face as he held the wheel of the ship. All around him was darkness, frigid air, and slicing drizzle that came down so viciously it almost felt like ice. That damned Eoleo had maneuvered them into the path of a storm, and, being on the wheel for four days straight beforehand, didn't have the strength to lead them out of it.

Not that it was necessary; the boat was strong enough to handle any weather valiantly. But Matthew still wouldn't risk his team being in danger. He had been watching Eoleo for the past week, and when the sea dog turned in, the captain took control.

But he never expected it to be this rough. Even with gloves on, his hands were beginning to blister from grasping the wooden spokes so hard. The wind howled so loud that he didn't even hear his closest partner call for him.

"Matthew!" Karis attempted to gain his attention, but he continued to stare into the storm, fighting to maintain the ship. The young Jupiter adept stepped up to him, gripping his arm tightly, "Matthew, come in! There's nothing more you can do!"

Matthew barely jumped at her touch, in fact welcoming the limited warmth it granted before replying, "Not until we're out of this storm!" he shouted over the roar of the wind.

"Why not!? This ship can take it! You don't have to do anything more! Besides, it's past midnight! You need sleep!"

"No!" Matthew stated simply, resuming his fight with the ship, though he suddenly felt the rain cease around him. He glanced around, noting that it was still indeed raining, but it was like the wind had stopped buffeting him...

Finally his eyes locked on Karis, who had her own eyes sealed shut. She was focusing on something... She was using her psynergy to control the wind for him! He couldn't conceal a smile before resuming control of the vessel.

It was a long and hard fight, led by multiple breaks on Karis' part to let her psynergy recharge, but finally around three in the morning the storm settled and the waves began to break.

At last, the boat was peaceful.

"Careful" Matthew breathed as he and Karis descended the stairs to the deck. He held her hand and led her slowly, "Don't want you slipping."

"You'd catch me, of course" Karis giggled as she stepped down the final stair.

"In a heartbeat." Matthew grinned as he pulled her into his embrace. He placed a hand on the back of her head as he held her, letting the ungloved parts of his fingers run through her green locks, _So soft..._ Even despite the cold rain that had pelted them, her hair remained so smooth, so gentle... And he could distinctly smell lavender as well.

The Jovian girl blushed lightly at this, desperately clinging to him. She was quite cold from being soaked in the rain for so long, and even though he too was drenched, he was releasing a good amount of heat, which her body was screaming for.

Both stood there, in each other's arms, for what felt like an eternity before Matthew finally broke the silence, "Come on, let's go in and dry off."

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Matthew sat on the edge of his bed in the captain's quarters, smiling happily as Karis scrubbed his head with a towel attempting to drive the water from her lover's hair.

A faint light from the parting clouds revealed the moon shining in through the room's window, giving a similar ambience to the first night they had kissed.

The two had already changed into pajamas, Matthew being in shorts and a yellow undershirt while Karis was wearing some of Matthew's clothes in place of hers.

The two had played a fun little game of Look Away while they changed, both commenting back and forth as they proceeded to change, sneaking peeks of the other to ensure they weren't looking only for the other to look over as the prior looked away, repeating the process several times before both were changed, though the duo were blushing profusely.

This promptly led to a session of laughter, both realizing what they had both been doing. Next Karis proceeded to ease the drying of her head by creating a gentle whirl of air to dry it.

Matthew did indeed ask her to do the same with his, with his hair being rather rambunctious when it was wet, but the Venus was quickly denied with a smile, Karis holding a towel at the ready before beginning to do what she was doing now.

Both sat in silence, smiles plastered on their faces as well as a small blush erupting upon Matthew. It had been a long while since they had a night to themselves, and every time they had been in their traveling clothes... now they were alone in pajamas... in _his_ personal room.

As she caressed his scalp, he couldn't help the images in his mind. Her changing... Yes, he had peeked more than a couple of times, though she was facing opposite of him so he didn't see much. But her skin... it shone with dampness in the faint moons glow, and her hair draped casually down her back. He loved the way she wore it either way, but it was truly stunning when left to hang freely.

And now, seeing her in one of his white undershirts and shorts... he was just losing it.

And then he remembered something else that his eyes noticed while she was changing... his eyes began trailing down her back, down towards her...

"Hey Matthew, have you ever considered cutting your hair?" Karis interrupted his thoughts, leading the boy to gently tilt his head up towards her.

"What?"

"Well, it's so hard to manage. Have you ever thought of simply trimming it down a bit?"

The Venus chuckled as he once more lowered his head, "No, it's never crossed my mind. I'm trying to look kind of like my dad..."

"My father said that Isaac's hair was even more hectic than yours..." Karis giggled, leaning down to kiss Matthew on the cheek, "Like father like son, in more than one way..."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her chin to rest on his head, sighing contently as he asked, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're an excellent leader, just like your father before you..." she let herself drift down his scalp, falling to his shoulder as her arms trailed down to his chest, "And I'd follow you till the end of time..."

Matthew had had enough of this teasing. He pulled her onto the bed with him and rolled on top of her, smiling as she gasped in glee. He didn't waste a moment before engulfing her in a kiss, pressing against her soft lips with eagerness that exceeded any night prior.

Karis locked her arms around his back, pulling him in as close as she could to deepen their already passionate kiss.

He gently prodded his tongue against her mouth, silently chuckling as she flinched slightly. They had always kept their kisses gentle before, and Matthew couldn't help but feel that he was moving too fast, but that thought was silenced as Karis slowly opened her mouth.

He carefully slid in, exploring fleetingly before her tongue attacked his, though they playfully danced rather than lashing out with each other. It took him a moment to realize, but Matthew's ears finally caught notice that not only he was moaning quietly, but Karis was as well.

He had never felt such passion before and never thought that he would get this far with Karis after such a simple moment on the beach. But he once more had to keep it simple. They couldn't get ahead of themselves.

He carefully broke the kiss, separating from her warm pillows before gazing into her beautiful shining purple eyes. They glowed like lightning, flowing with a luster that shattered his grasp on reality. All just from looking in.

She felt the same way. The happiness she felt with him counteracted the void-like greyness of his eyes, calling her in towards another kiss, which he returned, if only shortly.

He lifted himself off of her and laid to her side, smiling as she snuggled up to him, "Goodnight..." he whispered, stroking her head softly as she laid her head on his chest. Once again he noticed how silky her hair was as he threaded his fingers through it, marveling at how amazing she was in every single way, even down to her last strand of hair.

"Goodnight..." Karis sighed loftily, closing her eyes for but a moment before opening them once more to lift herself up, "I love you..." she breathed as she kissed him one last time before once more coming to peace against him.

"I love you too..." Matthew held her tightly as he slowly fell to sleep.

It felt like no time at all had passed as Matthew felt his eyes flitter open, noticing an orange morning light painting the walls of his room. He shifted lightly, smiling as the second person in his bed clung tighter to him, bidding him not to leave.

Gently he shook his love, whispering, "Karis... Come on, it's time to get up..."

She groaned in what seemed to be anger, yet when she opened her eyes she had a glistening smile. She gazed dreamily up into Matthew's greys, whispering, "I don't want to get up..." she giggled as Matthew pecked her on the lips, "Not yet..."

"Eoleo always comes to wake me up first thing in the morning... If we don't get you back to your room soon, the entire ship will be alerted because of that big mouth of his..." He couldn't help but tighten his hold on her as she shivered at the morning chill, pulling the covers over both of their shoulders before finally sighing, "Alright... but only just a little longer..."

Silence passed between the two, and then Matthew spoke up. "Hey Karis?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep when the ship is rocking back and forth."

"What?"

"That's why I wouldn't come in until we were out of the storm. Sorry I dragged you into my petty problem..."

Karis giggled at this, tapping her fingers on the young Venus's lightly muscled chest, "I'd do it anytime. I love you, after all."

Matthew once again smiled as he closed his eyes, "I love you too. I'll always love you."


End file.
